Tag Archives: android

Because of the enormous response we received during last week’s testimonial-100GB giveaway, the five winners will be announced on Wednesday instead of today. Thanks again to everyone who participated! We were so grateful for all of the positive feedback.

If you missed it, we wanted to draw special attention to our new open-source HTML5 Android app that went live last week. Here is Ars Technica’s write up about it, or you can read the June 11 press release:

SpiderOak Launches Open-Source HTML5 Android App

Functions Like a Native App, Provides the Foundation for Enterprise-Grade, ‘Zero-Knowledge’ Mobile Apps

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwired – Jun 11, 2013) – SpiderOak, the ‘Zero-Knowledge’ privacy cloud technologies provider, today announced the new SpiderOak Android 2.0 application. Redesigned from the ground up using HTML5 and fully compatible with the brand-new SpiderOak Hive, the Android app is setting the standard for mobile privacy in the cloud. The newly available app enables users to view the data located in the Hive folder as well as any folders or files across their SpiderOak devices. It sets a new precedent for the development of open-source, HTML5 mobile applications.

“Our new Android app bucks the prevailing trends,” said Ethan Oberman, CEO of SpiderOak. “We have proven the capabilities of HTML5 and the success of producing open source mobile software. Our Android 2.0 app further sets the groundwork for bringing full ‘Zero-Knowledge’ read/write to mobile devices — leveraging our new Crypton framework. After all, privacy must expand beyond the computer to include the rapidly evolving mobile platform.”

HTML5 and Open Source

SpiderOak has a strong commitment to open source software and expounds on this belief with SpiderOak Mobile 2.0. The company also believes in leveraging the HTML5 platform as a viable solution to building mobile apps, despite recent companies moving in the other direction — most notably Facebook.

Newly hired lead mobile developer Tommy-Carlos Williams is a renowned expert in HTML5 and PhoneGap, an industry-leading open-source framework for developing apps using HTML5. “With SpiderOak 2.0 for Android, we’re really leveraging the HTML5 platform in its truest nature,” said Williams. “I’m excited at the direction SpiderOak is taking in mobile. We’re breaking new ground for ‘Zero-Knowledge’ privacy, as well as for the evolution of HTML5 itself. It is for these reasons I moved to SpiderOak and look forward to continuing our progress in these areas and more.”

SpiderOak applied styling to make the new app match Android 4.0 and above, and has devised features that behave in a native manner. The goal of the new app is not just to increase overall functionality and usability, but also appeal to the more stringent privacy and security demands of the enterprise.

Designed for Simplicity and Ease of Use

SpiderOak 2.0 for Android also includes significant usability enhancements, such as a higher level of app performance and easier navigation. Through the updated Android app, users can log in and easily see the data in their Hive folder or across any other device that is running SpiderOak. In addition to immediately accessing and viewing all of the data inside an account, a user can download and share files via email or social media.

Devices running Android 2.3 and newer versions can download the app in the Google Play Store.

In the mobile world here at SpiderOak HQ, there’s two things that have some code being laid down already, and they’re interrelated.

The first is that an Android app is now being actively worked on. Yes, I know we’re late to the party. If it’s “fashionably late”, or “better late than never”, or “about darn time”, I don’t know, but it’s being worked on. When it’s complete, it’s going to be open-source from the get-go so that those with open handsets can play with the app as they please. This is cool, because it’s going to also act as a demo implementation of our Next Big Thing. This app will provide at least the same amount of functionality as the 1.1 version of the iPhone app.

The Next Big Thing

There’s a lot of things you can do with a bunch of cloud storage. They’re all very, very cool. We have verycool web-based APIs, but I know there are difficulties in using our storage for cool uses (like Documents to Go) straightaway because of our ‘Zero-Knowledge’ encryption system.

The solution that I’m working on is a connection library in Objective-C and Java that will use our public APIs to provide high-level operations for working with files in SpiderOak storage, both personal storage and ShareRooms. This library will also be open-sourced as to make it easier to drop into your own projects, or see how we use our own APIs so that you can adapt the use to your own ends.